Anything But Ordinary
by Inita
Summary: Late birthday gift for Infamousplot/Ip. 'Xion really did have odd friends... But perhaps the most unique one of all was the one that began with a violin, and a familiar melody.' Platonic!Joshua/Xion, light RokuShi, medium AkuRokuShi, light platonic!Aqua/Xion.


**To Everyone: **_Hello to those who were nice enough to stop by and actually give crack pairings the time of day! Guess who's late on birthday fanfics again this year? :D Me~! -shot- Ahem, anyway... Let me get on with this so you guys can read and be on your way :) But first, let me leave a note for a certain someone._

**Infamousplot: **I'm so sorry this is late! Dx Life got in the way and then I had other gifts to write as well as **Tacet Syncopation**, and yeah... I'm sorry if you dislike AU's, but the other scenario I had in mind for Joshua/Xion consisted of dull dialogue, and a complete mind fu**... Anyway, I hope you like this fanfic and hopefully I was able to keep them in character... Oh, and seeing how you and I (as well as Tenshi, R. Girl, and Kiryn) prefer Manga!Xion over Game!Xion, I tried sticking with… well, the one from the 358/2 manga. Regardless, read on and enjoy.

_I totally screwed up/made up the Squeenix family tree... Oh, and uh... Final Fantasy XIII is boss... Jus' sayin'..._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts nor do I own TWEWY in any year that has twelve months._

* * *

There were a few things Xion had learnt about Joshua the more she hung around him:

He was quite skilled with the violin, already sounding like a true composer.

He _hated _ice cream...

And most importantly:

_He was just as confused and lost as her._

* * *

Aqua was a talented violinist and in a way, Xion envied her. At least her older friend had a career ahead, something she could take as a major in college. Like every violinist, Aqua seldom let others play her instrument, save for the time she was teaching the younger kids in her Junior High. With the exception of her friends and younger students, no one ever drew the bow across the strings. In a way, Xion did look up to Aqua; she was admirable and responsible. Xion was, in a way, the opposite. She was always last to be picked for sports or partners, and she had a very bad habit of losing things borrowed... Which would explain why Axel wouldn't entrust her with delivering his gift to Reno and Lea from Radiant Garden...

In the past, it had been Roxas, Axel, and Xion together as a group. Once Axel graduated high school, he enrolled in the university at Radiant Garden, leaving the other two by themselves. Both Roxas and Xion were in the same grade along with their brothers Ventus, and Sora and Vanitas. In this case, both Sora and Vanitas were twins with Xion being the sister, the only _girl _aside from Aerith, their mother. Both Ventus and Roxas were identical twins, set apart only by their distinct personalities. The one thing they had in common aside from looks? They were both extremely kind hearted.

"Xion?"

The aforementioned girl looked up from her homework at the call. "Yeah?"

Aqua gestured to the door behind her. "I still have a few more songs to practice with the other first violins, so are you okay with staying a bit later? We could be here another forty-five minutes." She was concert master, being a Senior and (most likely) the best player out of all the other violins. Before the start of a concert, she was to stand and play the A string for the first note before tuning.

Xion nodded, reassuring with a small smile and a wave. "It's fine, Aqua," She responded. "I can wait a bit longer; besides, I kinda like orchestra." And it was true. Xion was never a huge fan of band (unless she wanted a good adrenaline pump), and chorus? She could sing – as Roxas and Axel had told her – but preferred single artists over groups. With orchestra, it was just one large group producing harmonizing music, calm and while not usually energized, it certainly made her feel more relaxed after the songs were finished.

Her friend nodded, thanking her with a grin before disappearing into the adjacent room, leaving Xion back to her work in peace.

~.~.~.

The urge to text Roxas after finishing the packet was tempting, but he was probably busy with anatomy lab. Unlike his twin and Xion herself, Roxas was more of a science and math person despite having quite a singing voice. Ventus loved writing – creative writing; Roxas had claimed how his twin had a few poetry books (not published) lying around or a file on his computer full of short stories. Most of the papers that littered Ven's room were rough drafts. Aside from writing, he took an interest in arts as well albeit lacking the passion for it in contrast to Namine.

Xion didn't know what she wanted to do; math and science was out (hated it), and she wasn't driven by arts, but maybe music...?

Despite her future goals, she never expected to be waiting in the same room as a certain platinum haired boy with odd amethyst hued eyes. He had arrived a few minutes after Aqua had left to perform with a separate group. Xion opted to read her book when he went to speak with his conductor, but she had a hard time concentrating on the content of the story when he started playing. Said distraction was not necessarily bad, but rather peaceful; he was _talented_.

She hadn't recognized the song at first, but it tugged at the back of her mind like the strings of a harp.

The melody was woven together by powerful notes, slurs and near perfect intonation. If not perfect, then definitely excellent or something in a high ranking. In contrast to most violin players, it was almost as if this boy _felt _the music; he wasn't just reading off paper. He was very similar to Aqua in this aspect, both digging deeper into the melody and extracting something rare, something only they could see. A mahogany instrument – difficult to play – never sounded so elegant... Aqua was talented, but perhaps this guy could give her a run for her money.

At some point, she had put aside her book and just sat, staring and listening, entrapped by the music. In fact, she was so absorbed that she hadn't realized he reached the end of his piece until he played the final note, ending in vibrato.

It was at this point where Xion had hastily reached for her belongings to make it seem as if she wasn't listening. Unfortunately, Xion was quite clumsy, and such a swift move caused her to knock over her stack of notebooks, folders, and textbook, all colliding against the floor with a loud 'thud'. And, as if it couldn't get any worse, she went to pick up the textbook only for gravity to pull the object out of her grasp and back onto the ground. She knew immediately that the boy was looking at her, probably thinking she was just an uncoordinated klutz or mentally cursing her for causing such a ruckus – after all, it was one helluva applause. Her face heated up in embarrassment as she began gathering her materials together, eyes averted.

How _embarrassing!_

"Sorry!" Xion called, still looking away. She had a bad habit of doing that... apologizing for silly screw ups when she was surrounded by her friends. Granted this boy wasn't her friend, but he seemed to be in the same grade... eh, details. At least she didn't collapse into fits of giggles like Namine when she grew nervous. The little blonde would cover her mouth with a small hand and try to muffle her 'bad habit'. Nope, Xion liked to shout 'sorry'... Wow, that was odd.

The boy said nothing to her sudden outburst, so she decided to lock gaze with her, blue eyes clashing with violet. They weren't _that _far away from one another, so she could read every emotion that was presented. Confusion peppered with amusement, and a healthy dash of curiosity. And she hadn't noticed, but he had held off on his response until they were finally looking at one another.

"It's... not a problem." The statement came out more of a question rather a plain sentence. Xion took notice of his voice; the pitch was quite high for an average male. Perhaps he was a natural tenor or maybe he talked like that on purpose? No, scratch that last part... That was _definitely _not it... That'd be weird, and while this boy seemed quite effeminate, he seemed serious enough not to pull a front such as that.

She nodded, staring blankly. Seconds ticked by before she dropped another question, hoping to shatter the silence. "You're really good at the violin." _Good _at _the violin? Good Lord, Xion, you just... Gah!_

"Oh..." He glanced at the instrument in his left hand before gazing back at her. "Thanks, I've been playing for quite a few years now." He seemed to take caution around her, as if he was afraid she'd break. Had they met before? No... Xion didn't remember meeting someone like him before... There was Roxas' cousin Neku who seemed a bit different, but not in the same way as this kid.

"What's your name?" She asked, trying for a small smile. "I'm Xion Fair, but everyone calls me Xion." Introductions? Not her thing... Normally her bashfulness would win her over and she'd unload a load of bull roar that would go from a casual conversation, to a casual calamity, usually resulting with her turning around and running away, head down.

He began putting the instrument away as well as the music sheet. "My name is Yoshiya Kiryu, but mother and father call me Joshua." She catches the faint smirk on his lips. "I suppose you can call me 'Joshua' too."

Certainly different. Xion was already intrigued despite the manner he spoke in. She found it odd how he went from timid to just normal; normal, of course, as in talking to her as if they were already friends. Which they're not... yet. Regardless, she nodded, taking in the information. "Joshua, huh...?" The name rolled off her tongue, somehow fulling and not the least foreign. Which was odd for they had just met. Because of a violin. And her determination to get her work done before heading home, but that was about it...

"Xion! Are you ready to leave yet?" Aqua called, entering the room. When she spotted Joshua though, her features became a bit more serious. Not guarded, but rather... formal? "Yoshiya I... didn't know you were here. We had practice with the conductor earlier for 'B minor'. Did you speak with him yet?"

Joshua dismissed her calling of his full name with a wave of the hand. "Aqua, I'd prefer 'Joshua', but... Yes, I did speak with him earlier, and he wanted me to work on my piece."

"Really? Then what about..."

Their idol conversation carried on for a while, but Xion was oblivious, somewhat amused that musicians could be… _quite _serious... Perhaps a tad more serious than she had expected...

But as the two conversed about the upcoming concert, Xion had a feeling she'd run into Joshua again... soon.

~.~.~.

Roxas couldn't make it to the clock tower ("Ven needs help on math – _again! –_ and mom says we have errands to run this afternoon. Oh, and Neku's supposed to be coming over as well... Don't know when but dad doesn't want the house to be left unattended...Sorry... Maybe some other time?"), so Xion was by herself in the main plaza, nearby an ice cream stand. And without Roxas (Axel is in _college_...), she wasn't feeling up to going to the clock tower.

But as she paced to and fro, she caught site of a certain someone sitting alone on a bench, accompanied only by a black case (violin case, _violin case_, Xion!), their hands occupied by a music sheet, staring down at notes only they could read. To her, music notes and terms were so foreign to her – like ancient Greek.

Had she not recognized the familiar curly hair and odd colored eyes, Xion would just let them be. But for the Lord' sake, it was _Friday_, she was alone, Sora and Vanitas were probably fighting over trivial matters at home, Roxas and Ven were taken, Riku had stayed after for a lab, Kairi had an afterschool meeting for one of her clubs, Namine was in art, Lea was probably with Isa, and hell she was just alone with nothing to do, so why the hell not? So, mustering up her courage, thickening her audacity, she made way towards Joshua.

_Why was she still pursuing him? They only knew each other for a day..._

She stood in front of him, extending a tentative hand, but she drew back quickly, pondering what to say. And either Joshua was playing hard-to-get, or he just didn't she was really there. Perhaps he was too absorbed in his music?

"Hey, it's Joshua, right?" Xion asked, alerting him of her presence.

He nodded, beginning to put away the music. "Well you've certainly got my name down," he sighed, placing the piece into the compartment of the case. When everything was out of sight aside from the instrument, Joshua finally gave up his attention, sitting up straighter. "To answer your question, yes, and you're Xion."

She blinked a few times, noticing that he _was _different from her other friends. He wasn't outgoing and happy like Sora and Ventus, he wasn't a tough guy like Vanitas, wasn't shy and quiet like Roxas or Namine, and he certainly didn't seem like the athletic type... But she supposed that since he knew Aqua, the closest common ground she could link back to her friends would have to be her, the blue haired violinist. "Yeah, I am, and it's nice to see you again, Joshua." She paused, debating whether to ask him if he wanted to go with her to the clock tower, if he wanted to spend the day with her. Probably not, but she shot anyway, "Are you busy?"

Joshua quirked an eyebrow, arms folding. "Not exactly; I don't have anything else on the agenda. Do you want to go somewhere?"

Xion nodded, pushing down a smile. "Yeah. My friends are all busy and I don't really have anything to do aside from homework, but I'm not working. It's a _Friday_, it's almost like a day off so why work?"

He coughed out a few laughs at her beliefs. "That's... understandable." He stated simply, smirking. "I suppose my parents wouldn't care if I showed up late." Something glinted in his eyes at the word 'parent', but it disappeared so fast Xion was sure she imagined it, so she filed the thought away for later analysis.

She blamed spring fever, but the sudden audacity she steeled up grew strong and she broke out into a wide grin, thrilled. "Okay, I know a perfect place!" Once he stood with violin case in hand, she pulled him towards the ice cream stand.

~.~.~.

Sea salt ice cream was the best. Salty yet sweet, and a symbol that tied the bond between her, Roxas, and Axel; maybe it could start a friendship between her and Joshua. Yes, the boy was quite odd, but he may just end up being a good person, and it was true he was quite sarcastic, but he meant no harm, right? She handed him the treat and wouldn't keep her eyes off him until he took a bite. Really, she had expected him to like it, but his face seemed to screw up in a grimace, which he tried to hide immediately after. Xion gapped, astonished. "What do you _mean _you don't like it?"

He shrugged, taking another tentative bite. Because seriously, they wasted some munny buying the darn thing so he might as well eat it. "Whatever doesn't kill me... Although, I will say it's better than the soft serve at Sunshine."

Well... That was something, right?

Xion nodded, taking in the new piece of information. Right off the bat, it was quite obvious Joshua was not a huge fan of ice cream in general. If he also disliked Sunshine's (which Xion had to disagree with), then he probably was not a huge fan of other flavors as well. "Okay, so..." Darn, she was almost out of plans. Wow, she needed to organize better... Perhaps Joshua could help with that. "Do you have a phone?"

"Hm? I'm pretty sure there isn't anyone here who doesn't."

She opened her mouth to respond, but her own cell phone vibrated, and she excused herself to take the call.

_Roxas. Huh?_

Xion spoke into the receiver, "Hello?"

"_Xion? Hey, it's Ven! I was wondering if you wanted to come over? We're about done with my math homework and mom doesn't mind if we have company. I'm thinking about asking Sora too... Oh, and Vanitas."_

The latter's name came out a bit slower, hesitant. Both Ventus and Vanitas had a rivalry since day one. Xion didn't know if it was something the blonde had said or if he looked at her brother weirdly, but ever since they first met, they disliked each other. Ventus was not outgoing with his feelings towards Vanitas, but he seemed to shy away when the black haired boy came into view. At times, if Vanitas was successful in getting a rise out of the younger, they'd both engage in a verbal argument, sending sharp, snarky comments to one another until one said something hurtful enough. If Ventus had harmed Vanitas, he'd apologize instantly and excuse himself, but had it be the other way around, Vanitas would leave the scene without another word. Very rarely did quarrels between them break out and this was due to their avoidance.

"Sure, but..." She averted her gaze to Joshua.. "Would it be alright if I brought a friend?"

No response on the other line, but it later came. "_Sure, who is he?" _There was some slight excitement in his tone – Ventus believed in 'the more, the merrier', so any friend of Xion's was a friend of him. "_Have we met him before_? _Oh, is your friend a girl?_"

She cracked a smile; Ventus was always happy, joyful, and sometimes his naïve behavior made her laugh. He was a good friend; both of the Strife twins were. "No, you guys haven't met, but he knows Aqua, so—"

"_Really?_" The excitement in his voice jumped higher. "_I didn't know she—"_

("_Ven! What are you doing on my phone?")_

_"I was just calling Xion; I wanted to see if she could come over since mom said it was okay."_

_("That's fine and all, but use your own!")_

_"I can't, mine's dead!"_

_("Then don't use mine; it's not my fault you forgot to charge it!")_

_"Bye, Xion! Come over whenev—"_

And so she did, dragging a somewhat-reluctant Joshua all the way.

~.~.~.

Joshua's relationship with Neku, she had observed that night, was quite different from the relationship she had with her friends. Every now and then, he would egg Neku on, but not in a threatening sort of way... Almost like _flirting_, but not exactly. She didn't know how to describe it; it was just unique and interesting. Of course, that was yesterday and she could've just _imagined _it since the typical party atmosphere would cloud up her senses, make her think nonsense, but at the same time, she wondered...

Eventually, Xion had succeeded in pulling his number from him, but she hardly called because she was afraid of how to approach the matter. What would she say? 'Oh, hi Joshua! Don't get freaked out or anything, but I decided to call you and all, so yeah...' No. But she still hung out with him every now and then, dropping in after school for orchestra on the days he'd be there. The more she hung around with him, the more she learnt. He was quite secretive, never giving out too much about himself, but asking plenty about her. Xion had answered the best she could because maybe that coax him to crawl out of his shell too. But a few things she did know: He was friends with Roxas and Ven's cousin, he never let his orange cell phone out of sight (odd...), and lastly, he was just as lost as her.

The last one had come as a surprise, but as she put two and two together, she could finally see that although he was talented, he did not have a future planned out, and there were times when he felt as if he didn't fit in his group of friends, as if he were better off alone.

Xion felt the same way. A long time ago, she would see Roxas and Axel negotiating, rambling senseless about God knows what, but at times, she would feel smaller. And if she were to be particularly honest, there were times when she turned and walked away, not wanting to ruin the conversation they had going. At times, when Roxas first introduced her to Axel, the oldest of their group of three would stare at Xion intently, as if trying to figure her out, as if she were some complex puzzle. The scrutinizing bothered her and she'd be quick to cast her gaze in another direction, but as time went on, the awkwardness between her and Axel died. Gone. She began to view him like an elder brother, someone who would look out and protect them.

_But there were still times when she proceeded with caution_.

"Well… Maybe you should talk to them. You're lucky to have good friends like Neku and the others." She threw in, pulling her knees up to her chest (though this task was quite difficult since she was huddled up on the chair altogether).

He smirked. "I appreciate you saying that with conviction, even though you have no idea what you're talking about."

Xion gave him a look. "Of course I know; I feel like that all the time. You know, left out? It was like this for me, Roxas, and Axel in the beginning, and sometimes, I feel the same when I'm with Namine, Kairi, and Aqua. I mean they're a perfect trio, and there are a lot of times where I feel as if they're just talking to me for the heck of it. They tell me we're friends, and I do believe that, but for some reason, I feel out of place at times. Usually when I'm with Roxas, I feel more secure._ Happier_."

Joshua plucked at a string on his instrument, turning the black pegs to get the right tone. "Then you two are lucky. You should stay with Roxas for as long as you can; once you graduate, who knows what will happen?"

She sighed heavily, exasperated. "But... that's such a... _sad way _to look at things." She noted, planting her feet on the ground and leaning back into the seat. "You'll always stay with friends forever as long as you stay in contact. Sure you may not see each other for a while, but it's the memories that count." Her eyes grow distant, gaze averted to the ground. "Roxas and Axel may forget the sunset that day we met at the clock tower, but I never will. It's too precious of a memory for me to just... _lose_." When she continues, her voice seems more determined, powerful. "I know that after being with friends for so long it hurts to part ways, but you should remember that they're cheering from you, no matter what corner of the world they may be in. So yeah, I may be getting my hopes up and maybe I really _don't _know what I'm talking about, but you want to make time with the people you care about as much as you can."

After her speech, she shrunk back, suddenly shy. "That's just something... Sora told me, and Ven basically told me that friendship was forever as long as you had memories."

He had remained unresponsive, staring intently at the floor. After what seemed to be forever, he finally responded, albeit quietly. "My relationship with Neku and the others is a little complicated, a bit more complex than an average friendship." He looked at her, amethyst hues concentrated, hardened. "You can blame my parents for that."

Xion nodded slowly "Well... a lot of friendships are complicated," She muttered, tucking a lock of black hair behind her ear. "Joshua... What are you parents like?"

A short laugh – hesitant, but assured of the answer. "Well, they're like every other parent," He responded, bent on keeping the true answers hidden. "Why do you ask?"

_It certainly doesn't sound like that..._ But she knew she wasn't going to get the truth. Trust needed to be established, and that was not something given like a mere gift. It was to be earned, something that would develop over time. Xion assumed she would've been better if they took things slower – so she did. And it all started with one question:

"Joshua? We're friends, aren't we?"

The boy picked up the bow in the right hand, glancing her way. "...I don't see why not."

And Xion was content with that answer, smiling because to Joshua, that type of response was 'yes', basically. Sure there was more room for development in their friendship, but as she listened to the sound of the violin, his solo piece, she supposed this wasn't a bad place to start after all...

~.~.~.

**A/N****: **_Okay, so I try to write Joshua/Xion, and instead, I get more of the AkuRokuShi friendship instead -_-;; I fail –headdesk- And in case you guys didn't catch on, Ventus and Roxas are twins, Sora and Vanitas are twins with Xion as their sister, and Neku is Roxas and Ven's cousin (a little pun on how they all have the same voice actor)._

_So this fanfic was more than frustrating. Some parts made me want to tear out my hair; this bloody one shot had several different openings, and this ended up being the final one. And I'm _still _not happy, but I guess that's not for me to decide, right?_

_Aside from this, I have one more birthday fanfic to write that is to be published sometime next week (or later if I'm late... which hopefully won't happen). But, if by some chance I _do _update something else, keep an eye out for chapter 6 of "**Fragments of a Dream**" or "**Tacet Syncopation**" :)_

_Anyway, one more thing before I go:_

_~*~*~* Happy Birthday, Ip! ~*~*~*_


End file.
